Tag: Cincinnati

I had one of those rare occasions where I could hop in the car and disappear for the day and visit my family in Cincinnati. Met up with my Sister for a local’s tour of the regentrification project occurring in Over The Rhine (OTR). Local’s always give the best tours and like to share what they love about their city. Today was no exception as we proceeded to eat, walk, shop, and admire the surroundings.

Having just received a 64GB iPhone 5s it was time to put it through its paces and see how it worked as an everyday point and shoot. So far I’m pretty happy with the results, especially the low light capabilities.

On a recent visit to the Queen City my daughter and I decided to have a late lunch at the Hofbräuhaus in Newport Kentucky. This place is a German Style beer hall complete with the traditional “Oom-pah Band” and can get quote crowded in the warmer months. Good thing they have a big Bier Garden out back to keep the riff raff at bay.

Fun and friendly is the atmosphere in the Bier Hall, with live music and about 250 soon to be close friends. There is also a quiet dining room for those who want to simply come and enjoy the delicious Bavarian fare. Many dishes are prepared with ingredients specially made locally for the Hofbräuhaus or imported from abroad. The Bier Garden, with freshly planted trees and shade awnings, will seat an impressive 400 guests. The view is of Newport’s waterfront with the Cincinnati skyline as its backdrop. [MORE]

This place is huge and it’s always full of people drinking the awesome beers from Germany (some are also brewed on site). On a previous visit I caved and paid the $10 premium to take home my very own glass stein that holds 1 liter of beer (about 3 bottles worth). It’s kind of like the big glass you get a Mexican restaurants, if you can’t lift it you’ve had enough to drink… When not using my $10 Liter glass for my favorite malted beverage it doubles as a great flower vase (one the cat’s can’t knock over!).

The Menu at Hofbräuhaus is very German focused (obviously) with some kid friendly choices mixed in. This visit I opted for the Bauern Pretzel Sandwich ($7.99) “A mound of Ham and Swiss Cheese served on a Sesame Seed Pretzel bun, and topped with our Signature Homemade Bier Cheese”. It was like a bastardized ham and cheese sandwich and the combination worked. The Bier Cheese was the star of the show and it’s good on just about anything (including your shoe if you drink enough).

I almost forgot that I tried a cup of their Hofbräuhaus Bratwurst Chili ($3.99) “Our Homemade semi-spicy Chili”. This was definitely NOT the traditional Cincinnati chili but it was quite good (even if it did have beans in it)… (ha). I would order a bowl of this if they had that size available on the menu.

My daughter, who us a big Wiener Schnitzel fan chose the Bier Cheese Chicken ($14.49) “Tender Grilled Chicken Breast topped with Bier Cheese, Sweet Peppers and Onions, served with Mashed Potatoes”. Again, the Bier Cheese was the ingredient that put this dish over the top.

For dessert (who can’t say no when the kids ask for dessert?) we split the Windbeutel ($4.99) “Bavarian Cream Puff with Chocolate Sauce and Powdered Sugar”. When my daughter posted a picture on Instagram she had over 100 “likes” before the night was over. We liked it very much and since it was not overly sweet it’s probably going to be my dessert of choice on our next visit.One thing that’s happened more times than not lately is we were seated at the same table as we were 6+ months earlier. I know it’s a coincidence but this is not the first time that has happened in the last year (at other places). I always find it odd when that happens.

If you’re looking for a place where you can enjoy some great beer, traditional food and some good music you should check out the Hofbräuhaus in Newport Kentucky. Don’t worry about bringing the kids, they’ll love the place and they can be loud without bothering anyone in the room.

Note to Self: Stop using your camera phone and use your DSLR… Indoor pix with a Blackberry usually suck!

Final HDR image of the Cincinnati Skyline at night. This one is not as vivid as the other two but I still like it. Cincinnati is hard to shoot because all of the good vantage points are very hard to get to at night.

I had the opportunity to spend some time in Cincinnati over the weekend and spent part of that time playing with a new type of photography (new to me). HDR photography uses multiple photos set at various exposures (over/under the correct exposure). Once combined the images reveal a lot more detail than the properly exposed image.

John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, Covington KY side of the Ohio River